As a founder, whether you are "Entrepreneur, party of one" or have built a team of people to share your vision, there are certain skills you have to acquire and hone quickly. After all, this is your idea, your leadership. Our subject is Founder's DNA - what does it take to not only have the dream, but make it successful.

This unique in-person speaker panel event will provide you the opportunity to learn from someone who wrote the book on the subject. Todd Wilms will moderate an incredibly live panel of leading business leaders, featuring special guests:

Andy Cunningham, Co-Founder and President, Cunningham Collective

Erica Brescia, Co-Founder and COO, Bitnami

Charu Sharma, CEO and Founder, NextPlay.ai

Yes, we will talk strategy. But more importantly, we will give you specific tactics and insights you can use immediately to impact your passionate enterprise, team, or personal skills.

Please note: a copy of the book, Beyond Product, is included in the ticket price.

Book signings will be at the end of the evening, with books available for purchase on-site, including:

Todd is a huge fan of Emperor Palpatine (though not in a whole “dark side, kill rebels” kind of way). The Empire in its infancy was a startup and Palpatine, as a founder, was not only charismatic, but he systematically took over…well…everything. When you think about it, taking control of the Galactic Senate was a huge marketing coup orchestrated by a startup and completed with perfect execution. As a CMO-turned entrepreneur, he created FoundersPlace.co as a champion of those dreamers, trailblazers, and visionaries. He podcasts, speaks, and consults with companies around the globe to help founders find their market, grow, and add value. His first book on the subject, Beyond Product, is being published in March. Todd is an active advocate for women, believes in the Watermark mission and believes in unifying knowledge and skills to empower women to lead. FoundersPlace.coBeyond ProductLinkedIn@toddmwilms

About Erica Brescia

Erica Brescia is the COO and co-founder of Bitnami, the leading provider of packaged applications for any platform. She heads the company’s sales, BD, marketing and operations efforts. In December 2018, Erica was recognized at the Women in Technology Awards as COO of the year. Earlier in 2018, she served as
one of three judges for Microsoft’s prestigious Imagine Cup. Erica’s leadership in the technology space extends to serving on the board of directors of the Linux Foundation, as well as being an Investment Partner in X Factor Ventures, which empowers female-led businesses to succeed. BitnamiLinkedIn@EricaBrescia

About Andy Cunningham

Andy Cunningham is the founder and president of Cunningham Collective, a marketing, brand and communication strategy firm dedicated to bringing innovation to market. She is also the author of Get to Aha!: Discover Your Positioning DNA and Dominate Your Competition (McGraw-Hill), and the host of the popular podcast Marketing Over Ice. An entrepreneur at the forefront of marketing, branding, positioning and communicating “The Next Big Thing,” Andy has played a key role in the launch of a number of new technology categories and products (including the Apple Macintosh) over the past 35 years. Today she advises startups, serves on several corporate boards, is a Henry Crown Fellow and a trustee at the Aspen Institute. She is a graduate of Northwestern University and lives in Sausalito on an old wooden boat with her husband Rand Siegfried. CunninghamCollectiveLinkedIn . @AndyCunningham4

About Charu Sharma

Charu Sharma is a 3rd time startup founder, has written 3 books, educated 1M women to start their businesses, won 5 national awards, was named a Power Woman alongside Oprah, stopped a train robbery in India when she was 9, and has been to all 7 continents. Currently, she is Founder and CEO of Next Play, an advanced AI app that facilitates internal mentorship matching for company employees at Lyft, Square, Gilead and Splunk to name a few. The App is a chatbot that personalizes employee career and leadership development with the goal of attracting, developing, and retaining more diverse talent. Next Play works with users to identify goals and preferences, match mentees and mentors at scale, and guide employees to achieve their goals. HR directors gain insight into employee engagement data with Next Play’s breakthrough AI Technology. NextPlay.aiLinkedIn . @Charu1603